President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that he may threaten Russian President Vladimir Putin by offering to send Ukraine Tomahawk cruise missiles if the war is not “settled” in Ukraine.
During a press gaggle on Air Force One on Monday following a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump said Ukraine needs Patriot missiles “very badly” and would like to also be provided with Tomahawk missiles, which he said would be a “step up.”
“They’d like to have Tomahawks. We talked about that, and so we’ll see. I don’t know, I might have to speak to Russia, to be honest with you, about Tomahawks,” Trump said. “Do they want to have the Tomahawks going in their direction? I don’t think so.”
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“I might speak to Russia about that, in all fairness. I told that to President Zelensky, because Tomahawks are a new step of aggression,” Trump added. “I might say, ‘Look, if this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send them Tomahawks.’ I may say that.”
The president described the Tomahawk missile as an “incredible” and “very offensive” weapon.
According to Fox News, Trump is expected to meet with Zelensky in Washington, D.C., on Friday to discuss the improvement of Ukraine’s air defenses and ways to increase pressure on Russia to end the war.
In a statement obtained by Fox News, Zelensky said, “The main topics of the visit are air defense and our long-range capabilities to put pressure on Russia for the sake of peace.”
“Now, as the war in the Middle East is coming to an end, it is important not to lose the momentum in spreading peace,” Zelensky added. “The war in Europe can also be brought to a close, and for this, the leadership of both the United States and other partners is of utmost importance.”
